Arnold Shives and Glenn Woodsworth were there at the start — it was sublime

When Arnold Shives and Glenn Woodsworth met as teenagers, they couldn't have imagined where their shared love of the mountains would take them.

For the next decade, they helped pioneer mountaineering in the Coast Mountains, forming a closeness that was on display at their Nov. 15 talk, "Crevasses and Crags: Tales from the Coast Mountains" at the Whistler Museum.

And their gear, to say the least, was basic: small A-frame tents, massive bags — stuff they bought from an army-surplus store.

"We weren't going Gucci," said Shives.

Through their time in the backcountry, Shives and Woodsworth were able to amass first descents and first routes. And Woodsworth, who took a liking to rock climbing, helped pioneer Squamish's now world-renowned rock climbing scene. In those days, the anchors were few and far between, he recalled.

Both men also developed intellectual pursuits related to the mountains.

For Shives, it was art. During his trips he sketched and painted, inspired by the beauty of the mountains.

Over the course of the presentation, he showed his early work, monochromatic paintings of striking mountains, including Mount Garibaldi.

Some of Shives work is currently being featured in Stone and Sky: Canada's Mountain Landscape, an exhibit focusing on Canada's alpine at the Audain Art Museum.

Woodsworth went on to study geology, and has since worked with the Geological Survey of Canada.

Following the talk, Shives and Woodsworth were asked about their spiritual connection to the mountains — a theme that had come up.

Woodsworth, a self-described atheist, said mountaineering involves a "leap of faith."

You have to have total confidence in your climbing partner, he explained. "There's a great deal to be said for that."